John McCain on Labor & Farming

Family farms: Crop insurance; reduce inheritance tax

Q: Since the family farmer is self-employed, would you cap government agriculture benefits to a modest one-family level?A: Obviously we need crop insurance. Why is it that the government takes almost everything that a family farmer earns all his
life and can’t pass it on to their children. The inheritance tax [should] kick in only at a level of about $5 million. Also, I will lower barriers to product goods and products from other countries, if they will lower their barriers to ours.

Source: GOP Debate in Johnston, Iowa
Jan 16, 2000

Ethanol is not worth it, even in Iowa

I’m here to tell you that I want to tell you the things that you don’t want to hear as well as the things you want to hear. And one of those is ethanol. Ethanol is not worth it. It does not help the consumer.
And those ethanol subsidies should be phased out and everybody here on this stage, if it wasn’t for the fact that Iowa is the first caucus state, would share my view that we don’t need ethanol subsidies. It doesn’t help anybody.

Source: Des Moines Iowa GOP Debate
Dec 13, 1999

Ethanol bad for environment & bad for consumers

Ethanol subsidies “are an example of the influence of special interest in Washington.... I had the position I take on [ethanol] 17 years ago,” said
McCain. “I’m convinced many people in Iowa believe as I do that ethanol is good for neither the environment nor the consumer.”

End sugar subsidy; it hurts consumers & helps only tycoons

The sugar program has resulted in US consumers paying three times the current world price for sugar. Defenders of the sugar program claim that it is critical to the viability of our domestic sugar industry. A close examination of this program reveals
that its true benefits are only realized by big sugar tycoons. Only by political clout has this corporate welfare program survived. I believe we should end the subsidies to the sugar industry and eliminate the sugar program that is unfair to consumers.

Source: Press Release: “Halt Sugar Subsidies”
Aug 4, 1999

Ethanol subsidy is outdated; use funds for education

McCain proposed a school voucher program to offer education opportunities for disadvantaged children. He suggested paying for it by eliminating $5.4 billion worth of subsidies for ethanol, sugar, gas and oil. “We shouldn’t have special interest giveaways
at the expense of our neediest children,” McCain said, adding that the ethanol program was “simply an outdated subsidy for corn producers.”

Vote to pass a resolution to give no enforcement authority or power to ergonomics rules submitted by the Labor Department during the Clinton Administration. These rules would force businesses to take steps to prevent work-related repetitive stress disord